


Miscellaneous Meta Thoughts on Cybertron and Cybertonians

by littlesparklight (sparklight)



Category: Transformers (Dreamwave Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Archived From Tumblr, Archived From littlesparklight Blog, Character Study, Cybertron, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Maps, Meta, Meta Essay, Nonfiction, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 10:05:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16992963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparklight/pseuds/littlesparklight
Summary: This will contain more miscellaneous meta, which have no real unifying theme that easily will fit into a single, themed work.The first chapter has some thoughts about Starscream and Jetfire's background in Dreamwave.





	1. Starscream and Jetfire's Backgrounds

Just some thoughts/headcanon on Starscream and Jetfire's backgrounds/origins and the gladiator games. (wildly different topics, I know)

 

I know most people put the "academy" (thirty years and yet no specific name. :| ) that Starscream and Skyfire went to (and, in the Titanium toy bios, which were for War Within toys, Starscream and Jetfire also just get "the Academy") in Iacon, which I chose not to do mostly because I had access to the UItimate guide's map of one hemisphere of Cybertron and used the short descriptions to figure out where I might want to put things, if only because a lot of Autobots seem to default to Iacon in fics and I wanted to spread it out a little. :|a

 

So, given their probable interests/scientific pursuits, I put the Academy Starscream and Jetfire went to in Altihex, since it was a center for "observatories and deep-space research communities".

Starscream comes from Centurion, which is taken from the Keepers trilogy (PRESUMABLY set in Dreamwave, but characterisation is lacking/awkward) which I headcanon is a smaller settlement... possibly in the Neutral Territories, and Starscream being Starscream quickly moves to Vos because better opportunities, gets some form of military education... and then moves on to scientific pursuits, ending up at Altihex.

Jetfire on the other hand I put as coming from Nova Cronum for no reason other than the little description on the map from the guide says it's a "philosophical haven and site of theoretical research communities" which I thought might fit him. Obviously, he moves on to Altihex later.


	2. The Gladiator Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meta thoughts about the gladiator games as they are presented in Dreamwave, attempting to tie the slightly different tone they're talked about the few times they're mentioned.

The games were first shaped during the Imperial Age and included sports as well as display combat (a sort of Olympic event, really), with each city-state having their own gladiators/athletes. Towards the end of the Imperial Age, the games had gained a cruel edge of those that were being sentenced to death (cybertronians or aliens within the empire) basically having their sentences being carried out in the arenas – though, on the other hand, in the rare cases someone thus sentenced survived, they gained pardon.

During the Golden Age, the reconstructed games were again mostly display fighting, though they had lost their actual sports part, and were simply elaborate tournaments within the city-states, promoting gladiators to compete in the once-a-vorn State Games, a planetary-wide tournament held in Iacon.

The Council of Ancients could name a gladiator their “champion” and this mech did not need to compete in a tournament or circuit to gain his spot in the State Games – in a way, the Council Champion was a sort of dark horse to add excitement to the whole procedure. Megatron was the Council's last chosen champion and one of the most successful and notorious. Especially as he used his favoured position to get access to the Council to ask questions about their species' history and the areas that had been declared “off limits due to safety concerns” that the Council didn't want to answer.

Megatron slowly upped the violence of the games, but deaths were kept carefully happening out of the arena, after the opponent had left and perhaps reached a medic. Any true death-matches were kept secret, used to build up the Decepticons and get rid of those who weren't strong enough/were about to back out, and it wasn't until the very end before the start of the war that actual death matches appeared in the official games, in the arenas themselves. Most of them were played off as accidents, but the last of them where Emirate Xeon was tossed into the arena against Megatron, was a complete and open slaughter, and the “unveiling” of the Decepticons as they shortly thereafter stormed out to begin their campaign to take over Kaon (and then onwards for the rest of Cybertron).


	3. Associations to The First Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meta about what sort of characteristics and general concept of society and personality are attached to the First Thirteen, regardless of if they're only considered as fictional/mythological or as actual historical beings in-universe. It's more about cultural perceptions than actual reality of what they were like or what characteristics they had personally.

A partly in-progress work of more mundane associations/spheres of influence the Thirteen might be thought to have in society/on cybertronian life and thought. Smaller in scale than their Primus-given spheres of influence and power, these are more associations that have built up over time and been given to them by the later generations.

 

* * *

 

 

**The Thirteenth** \- cooperation (positive - _for the betterment of self, others and society_ \- or negative - _basically erasing oneself in the communal effort or for others/someone else_ ), community, connections/family (on a social level, with others), mercy/forgiveness  
  
**Megatronus Prime** (the Fallen) - entropy, the natural cycle of life and death, defiance in the face of adversity (positive - _standing up and overcoming for oneself or others_ \- or negative - _heedless and uncaring of the effect this has on others or the surroundings_ )  
  
**Liege Maximo** \- illusions, manipulation, deceit, lying (positive - _for others_ \- or negative - _for oneself_ ), self-betterment (positive - _growth_ \- or negative - _at the expense of others_ )  
  
**Quintus Prime** \- invention, progression (positive - _for oneself or society_ \- or negative - _too much, with no regard to the circumstances, etc._ ), science (the exploration/experimentation thereof) and dreams  
  
**Amalgamous Prime** \- comedy, changes, acceptance (positive - _taking responsibility for whatever the acceptance is related to_ \- or negative - _taking no responsibility or thinking it enough that one's moving on_ )  
  
**Onyx Prime** \- divination, spirituality/mysticism (positive - _nurturing your spirit, learning to see beyond the physical reality, etc_. - or negative - _becoming so caught up in it that you lose all groundedness_ ), awareness/mind (sometimes rendered as 'reality'; knowing the difference between visions and the actual here and now), truth  
  
**Nexus Prime** \- cooperation (on a smaller scale than the Thirteenth is said to represent, groups rather than the whole society), wholeness (in the sense of pieces being complete. Positive - _the sum is more than the parts_ \- or negative - _the parts are forgotten for the whole, or the whole has negative effects_ ), problem solving/"angles" (looking at something from different directions)  
  
**Alchemist Prime** \- duality (ability to see the different properties of something/a situation. Positive - _flexibility and openness_ \- or negative - _indecisiveness, argumentativeness_ ), spirituality (of the natural world rather than the self as Onyx sometimes is more focused on), science (that all disciplines are tied together or can be used to help or better each other, leading to new discoveries)  
  
**Micronus Prime** \- problem solving (in offering new/different ideas rather than practical application thereof), power (positive - _in the service of others or self_ \- or negative - _uncontrolled, levied at others_ ), first impressions (and being able to see beyond them)  
  
**Solus Prime** \- art, construction, physicality/body, independence (positive - _all beings can and should be independent in some way_ \- or negative - _affecting others negatively, no recognition of when relying on others might be necessary or good_ ), science (the pratical applications thereof)  
  
**Alpha Trion** \- memory/the past (positive - _awareness of where one has been and where one comes from_ \- or negative - _unable to move past that, preoccupation with the past and a refusal to accept changes/the future_ ), history, society (the theoretical model/s of)  
  
**Vector Prime** \- the passage of time, connections (with one's history/life and being able to use it to move forward more than with others), control (positive - _one does need a level of control of oneself, one's situation, etc._ \- or negative - _overly controlling, accepting no changes, help etc._ ), experience (accumulated life experience, experience gained from a particular situation, etc.)  
  
**Prima** \- philosophy, law, justice, light (both physical and 'philosophical', and as such both positive - _seeing and accepting differences, etc_. - and negative - _being blinded by one's own opinions, inability to accept other's positions_ ), the spark

This bases itself either on a supposition that it's not actually _known_ which of the Thirteenth became the Fallen, and as such none of them are excluded. Even if there might be suspicions (popular theories usually turn to Megatronus, Liege Maximo or the Thirteenth, especially as the last one has no given name as isn't that, you know...  _suspicious_?).   
The other possibility is a knowledge of that Megatronus became the Fallen, but since these work on a "before he became that", he's included as an important part.


	4. A Thought on Minibot Culture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short and sweet, just mostly something that amused me as a possibility for minibots (and thus also a sport on Cybertron).

I have this headcanon that minibots, since they'd retain heat less than bigger mechs, basically engage in wrestling both as entertainment and to create heat that can be easily shared between combatants and audience for fun and profit.

It's a practical to raise the heat in a closed off space (like a room), a social activity and a sport in all... which could also be used to flirt with the object of your affection. ;D   
(Turkish oil wrestling, anyone?)

The rest of the cybertronian population have never figured out what the heck they're doing, whenever it was noticed (some do think it has a particular... _charm_ though). 8V


	5. Cybertronian City States

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meta about the various city states on Cybertron, their industry/education possibilities, what associations other city states had about populations in other city states and similar.

I've entertained myself with coming up short (or in some cases not so short) "profiles" for the city-states on Cybertron - which means the larger puzzle-like continents [which in Dreamwave are, if you go by a quick, not really explained mention, called continental torus states, which I use below] in addition to the particular cities that are name-bearers for the greater continents.

Each torus state has a city that bears the same name as the entirety of the continental torus as well, though technically it's the torus state that bears the name of the city, as each of those cities were the first settlement in the area. Those cities are all also still important as they're the location of each torus state's protoform manufacturing center, usually called Ignition Chambers however, since those buildings are also where the Prime goes to spark the protoforms.  
(Tagan Heights is the only continental torus to not possess an Ignition Chambers complex, as that place has never had the sort of population or organisation to have turned into a proper torus state.)

 

- **Iacon** ; originally it was the site of Prima's home and temple, the northern continent gained in importance during the Matrix Age and after a brief period during the Second Age when it lost prominence, Iacon consistently grew in power and importance as the Prime lived there.

It's the seat of government (Prime has always been here even in times of a more scattered planetary governance). "The" place to be besides Praxus in terms of entertainment/being seen. A few prestigious engineering schools, often trying to lure talent away from Kaon. Wide-spread practice of grass-roots politics.

Iacon also has the oldest (as far as anyone knows) temple and one of the bigger organised religious presences even if most of the planet doesn't care overmuch about that.

- **Kaon** ; originally the site of Solus Prime's workshop and during the Golden Age (and before), it was a hugely important site of industry and production (Industrial Quadrant South), though nearing the middle of the Golden Age, much of the raw resources were depleted, but not the knowledge of its engineers, artisans and workers, who preferred to stay. It did, however, due to the decline, offer a less variety of occupations, which meant a general decline in regards to stability, but it wasn't a completely “lost cause” pit (there were cities and settlements around the city-state, closer to the Badlands in the west of the continent, that were lost causes of criminality etc. however.)

Slowly collapsing industrial "pit" clinging to former glory. Very little in useable raw materials left, but the _talent_ (engineers, etc) refuses to leave, and workers tend to shuttle between other industrial areas instead of moving. And the gladiator scene keeps money coming in in some amount, especially as the most famous gladiators are kanese and not from Tarn.  
Innofficial/older name would be Industrial Quadrant South.

- **Tarn** ; military hotbed that often ends up with brief inter-conflicts. Vast gladiator scene and a popular place to study military history. Educates a lot of the peace keeper force that gets used all over the planet. There's jokes that the population spends half the time drinking in bars and brawling, and the other half preparing for a war that won't come. Lots of military altmode mechs.

- **Praxus** ; Cultural center, as an artist or performer. Quite a few artistic/entertainment related academies. Population at large (praxian continent) often think Praxus-city proper is kind of stuck up, but the rest if the planet usually finds Praxians sort of... Hippy-like. Lots of small artist communes with performers that travel the planet – plus a respectably-sized gambling culture. It was bigger in the past, but that side still lingers on.

- **Kalis** ; Mostly about energon-related research, refinement and similiar. Part industry, part a haze of overcharge. A lot of famous breweries beside the more "sedate" and respectable energon reserves and refineries/research. You get some kooky types, especially out on the continent, about the properties of energon - most people joke about everybody being at least partly overcharged all the time over there. (And then there's the REALLY weird types that go for the _spiritual_ properties of energon but let's ignore those.)

- **The Tagan Heights** ; Don't have much in the way of stable/permanent population, it's mostly an industrial area where people temporarily move to or move back and forth between it and tehir actual living place Kind of shady, infamous for having issues with transient gangs and organised crime, even if Iacon peace keepers try to keep it "clean" for those who're honestly working there. Innofficial/older name would be Industral Quadrant East.

- **The Neutral Territories** ; Free trading/settlement zone, lots of hopeful entrepeneurs come here to get started more easily. There's as much legal business being done as illegal, ás there's no greater control but the individual cities can exercise great pressure if they want, so some are more "open" (to illegal or legal business) than others. Has, besides Praxus, a lively gambling scene.

- **Nova Cronum** ; Very much of a theoretical/philosophical education, vocational pursiuts and higher research, no greater heavier industry or anything. Kind of "oddly" parted up between the religious parts of the more "grounded" philosophical parts, both in education/higher learning and on the street. Outsides usually find it amusing to poke at this and in some cases even start very loud verbal (or even physical) fights.

- **Tyger Pax** ; Competing with Praxus for importance in the artistic scene, especially in art. One of the other city-states with a large religious presence.

- **Hydrax Plateu** ; first stop for raw materials received from the moons and the business dealing with that – once, in the past, Hydrax Plateu was the main off-planet/colony destination spaceport, not any longer. Has a peculiarly even aerial/grounder architecture, and the population is similarly even. Some amount of shady dealings and crime, due to the theorietically quick access to the moons.

- **Vos** ; The only city-state (in the present) that is explicitely built after and for aerials. Has a lively entertainment scene (as catering to aerials) and if you would wish to use aerials or write/make entertainment for them, no matter who you are, this is where you go. They rather fiercely protect their aerial-focused layout and status.  
The finest civilian aerial school on Cybertron, and one of the best of the aerial military schools (competition comes from one in Tarn and in the Neutral Territories).

- **Alpha** and **Beta Moon** ; Curious mesh of natural reserves, scientific research, raw material extraction, noble retreats and the hide-aways of criminals. While you need to be able to present some form of official papers for your reason to go to either moon at the spaceport in Hydrax, there's of course ways around that.

- **Altihex** ; the place of the Well of All Sparks (though not known in the present), which means a few old temples (abandoned and not). Thriving space-related (which is wider than it sounds as it's not just things/phenomenons relating to space, but also anything else that would vaguely be concerned with it) research in scattered communities, centered on the large academy Altihex boasts. Also the first site of settlement by the second generation of cybertronians (after the Thirteen), though all proof of that is of course buried underground or under the present cities.

- **Tyger Pax** ; Competing with Praxus for importance in the artistic scene, especially in art. One of the other city-states with a large religious presence, though focusing more on the purpose of cybertronians and the “divinity” inherent in them rather than Primus itself – in the past very much a center of worship of the Thirteen.

- **Hydrax Plateau** ; first stop for raw materials received from the moons and the business dealing with that – once, in the past, Hydrax Plateau was the main off-planet/colony destination spaceport, not any longer. Has a peculiarly even aerial/grounder architecture, and the population is similarly even. Some amount of shady dealings and crime, due to the theoretically quick access to the moons. Has a large boat-altmode population (larger than any other torus state that has a sea coast, despite its small size).  
Has been the location of several attempted revolutions for independence regarding the mostly boat-altmode population it has always hosted.

- **Uraya** ; another industrial (if very much slowed in present times) powerhouse, often connected to Iacon in times past. Has a lively scene of activists worried about the environment (pre-war, that is) as well as a bit more involved racing scene than most other torus states (it's very much a “national pastime” in a way it isn't quite elsewhere).  
Unofficial/older name Industrial Quadrant North.

- **Polyhex** ; highly tied together with Altihex community-wise as most of Cybertron's satellites are coordinated from here. Also has a large number of server storage halls due to being the anchor for the Cybertronian netword (the internet, in other words). The most important of such storages being Darkmount, which is a local and international tourist spot as well, not just due to the server storage, but also due to persistent rumours of it having been the fortress of the Predacons in the misty beginnings of the Golden Age (true).

- **Tyrest** ; inhabited by a bunch of dry, practical know-it alls, if you'd listen to quite a few opinions in other torus states. Has a pretty dedicated peace keeper force, mostly because of the border shared with Tarn. Two famous (and rivalling) engineering schools.


	6. Headcanon on the Matrix

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some thoughts I had on the nature of the Matrix.

I know I've always preferred the Matrix as an unquestionably good force in general, but since I was reminded of another canon/story universe, I realise it goes a bit further than that.

This other canon is The Twelve Kingdoms, and what I love about the worldbuilding/political system there is that it doesn't just WORK, it's _allowed_ to work.  
The king (male or female) is chosen by a heavenly creature of divine mercy and goodwill, who basically is both a personification of the land and a representative of the people of the land. So, the kirin makes a choice, and the choice, for the land, people and the circumstances is good and positive. The king can or will be a good ruler, will care for the people and the land. The choice, when it's made is unquestionably the right one.

It doesn't mean the king can't become corrupt, can't make mistakes, can't become greedy or anything else that will make them put aside their duty of caring for the people and the land. It just means that the kirin's choice was right when it was made, and all things given, it will continue to be the right choice.

And I just... realised that that's what I would like the Matrix-Prime system to be (and I love the traces that are present in the various canons of this); the Matrix's choice is, ultimately (at the time it's made) a pure and positive choice. The Prime chosen is the right one, or will be capable of developing into something far greater and better than even the beginning.  
The point is simply that the system works (or should be allowed to work), the choice is the right one, regardless of what happens later.

Because the choice being positive and right wouldn't mean the Prime can't make mistakes, can't become corrupt or greedy or anything else - they're individuals and people, after all. It just means the choice was GOOD when it was made, and the Prime chosen is the right one when chosen.


	7. Map of Cybertron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was a pretty popular post on my tumblr, and probably understandably so haha, since there's really no good maps of Cybertron for any continuity - Dreamwave has one official map, of _one_ hemisphere, and I've edited that one to mark out cities, etc, and then I drew my own map of the other hemisphere a couple years ago, and marked out cities and such on that tone too.


End file.
